Girls on a Mission

Adolescents’, and particularly young women’s, participation in sport is less than optimal, and it appears that the age that young women are dropping out of sport and physical activity is getting lower. To try and promote a healthier lifestyle, Bucks County Council introduced a scheme in 2014 called ‘Girls on a Mission’ which was aimed at helping girls aged 16 -24 become more positive about physical activity, build self-confidence and make new friends.

The scheme had previously been extremely successful at RAF Halton, so it was decided that the gymnasium at RAF High Wycombe would take the lead on delivering the initiative in the High Wycombe area. A six-week programme was designed to give the girls exposure to a variety of fitness sessions, health-based discussions and team building events, aimed at helping them to lead a healthier lifestyle.

Each week, the girls were asked to discuss a different topic relating to Health; these included healthy eating, alcohol awareness and benefits of training. Under the guidance of the PEd Staff, the girls answered a variety of questions and formulated a way to improve their overall health.

The sessions also included a physical element and this was designed to give the girls a taste of what they could do in their own time once the course had finished. They all fully embraced the variety of activities which included: Body Pump, Functional Training, Circuit Training and Fitness Testing.

The girls were all extremely enthusiastic and appeared to gain a variety of new skills, which they can take away with them and develop; they also gained an AQA certificate of achievement from their attendance.

If you would like further information regarding any future courses then please contact Jo Atkins (jatkins@buckscc.gov.uk) or go to www.BucksFamilyInfo.org/girlsonamission.